With the advent of Symbian^3, it makes one wonder about the possibility of the new OS on our beloved N97′s. Symbian^3 promises to improve the UI by:

Symbian^3

An improved user experience

There are a range of user experience improvements in Symbian^3, incremental enhancements that make Symbian-based devices easier and more enjoyable to use.

Single tap interaction model – no more “tap to select, tap again to action”. Consistent roll-out of a “single tap” paradigm throughout the touch UI removes the need for double tapping anywhere in the user interface, delivering a more immediate and direct user experience. The implementation includes framework changes that allow 3rd party applications to benefit easily.

Multi-touch gesture support (for things like drag, flick and pinch-to-zoom) comes to many applications, including the Homescreen, Photos and the video player. Any application can integrate support for gestures by taking advantage of the framework and the set of gestures recognised can be customised and extended by device creators.

Better memory management, achieved through writeable data paging, leaves more free RAM for applications.

A faster UI – the Symbian^3 user interface uses the new graphics architecture to great effect to ensure that devices feel snappy and responsive.

The Homescreen Evolves

The Homescreen, starting point for all user interaction, evolves in Symbian^3. Find that you can’t squeeze all the widgets you need onto one page, or want separate pages for personal and work widgets? No problem, the Homescreen now supports multiple pages of widgets and a simple flick gesture to move between them. The number of Homescreen pages is limited only by available memory.

Want to show multiple email accounts or weather forecasts for more than one city? No problem, in Symbian^3 the Homescreen gains support for multiple instances of a native widget.

The Homescreen also gains an improved Widget Manager configuration interface that provides a rich UI for downloading new Homescreen widgets. Widgets gain the ability to extend their UI, for example when the user selects a widget. The extended UI can be any size and is displayed on top of other widgets as a floating element.

As in previous releases widgets can be created in either web runtime (using HTML, Javascript etc) or natively using Qt, C++ or standard C. Symbian^3 sees the addition of support for Adobe FlashLite widgets (so long as a FlashLite player is available in your device).

See the Symbian^3 Homescreen architecture and the Homescreen package backlog for further information.

More entertaining – HD video, smart remote controls, interactive radio, podcasts

There’s a lot happening in Symbian^3 in the multimedia space:

HDMI Output: The latest phones can do almost everything your set-top box or PC can – only you can fit it in your pocket! But sometimes that pocket-sized screen just isn’t big enough – for example, showing your holiday photos and videos to family and friends, or watching a movie at home. Wouldn’t it be great if that pocket-sized screen could grow when needed – so it was big when you wanted it to be? With HDMI Output, this is easy – just plug your phone into your TV and see your movies and photos on a screen measuring feet, not just inches! And movies arent the end of the story – just think about the possibilities of big screen gaming.

Symbian^3 brings support for HDMI v1.3a and above plus HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). The Photos, Music Player and Video Player applications have been updated to output to HDMI when a connector is attached. See feature 876 for more details.

Full remote control for your music player: See track and artist names and browse your music collection direct from the screen on your Bluetooth headset or remote control. Change playlist without having to take your device out of your pocket. The technology behind this is v1.4 of the Bluetooth Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP v1.4) – a headset or remote with matching Bluetooth support will be required. Symbian^3 also brings stack-level support for a Symbian device acting in the “remote control” role to browse the media on any other player that supports Bluetooth AVRCP v1.4.

For further details see the Bluetooth Services package and feature 879.

Music store integration in the Radio app – making radio interactive. Ever heard a great song on the radio and wanted to know what it was or buy it then and there? The new “Buy now” button in the Radio app solves this problem by using RT+ RDS metadata to link through to the user’s chosen music store, providing them with relevant info on the current song and artist and letting them make an immediate purchase if they wish to. Music store plug-ins can be supplied by a device creator or carrier or downloaded and installed by the user themselves.

For further information see the Radio package and feature 880.

Podcast management: The Podcasts app, new in Symbian^3, allows you to manage podcast subscriptions and automatically download new shows to a predefined schedule, integrating with the music and video players for playback. With the Podcasts app in place you’ll always have something new to listen to.

Next generation graphics

A new 2D and 3D graphics architecture paves the way for a faster and more engaging user interface by enabling hardware acceleration of all graphics operations. Applications such as Photos take full advantage to enhance their look and feel, integrating effects such as fades and transitions between their various screens. Semi-transparent UI elements are supported, great for example when overlaying controls or notifications onto video during playback. Combined with industry-standard OpenGL ES, the new architecture also provides a great platform for high performance games – all without slowing the phone down. And all these features can scale to the capabilities of the hardware, allowing everything from simpler, cheaper phones to feature-rich, high-end devices.

See feature 176 and the Graphics package for further information.

Better data networking

One-click connectivity greatly simplifies the process of connecting to the Internet, doing the right thing without interrupting the user. It delivers a consistent and simple experience across all network-aware applications, streamlining the UI to remove all unnecessary prompts and dialogs. New global settings allow the user to configure platform-wide behaviour, for example ensuring the device automatically switches from cellular to WLAN when a free WLAN network is available. See the One Click Connectivity page and feature 565 for more details.

Smart network management: Under the covers Symbian^3 delivers a new core data networking architecture (known variously as “Three Plane Comms” or “FreeWay”). An application is able to indicate that it has particular service requirements such as high bandwidth (eg for speedy video upload) or jitter control (eg for smooth streaming of internet radio). The system seamlessly balances each individual application’s needs to deliver the best possible overall user experience.

Core improvements: Symbian^3′s new networking architecture and related optimisations also deliver throughput and jitter improvements to all data-enabled applications. This future-proofs the platform ready for the high bandwidth 4G networks that will roll out over the next few years. This industry-leading architecture provides a great basis for VoIP, audio and video streaming and efficient use of high bandwidth networks of all kinds.

So, with all these improvements to the Symbian OS, it does spark curiosity amongst S60 users. I know all the features are not possible, but some of the features might be implemented and it wouldn’t hurt the N97 if they were implemented. Seeing how the new Symbian’s interface is intertwined with an additional graphics chip, it would be difficult to implement all these features on the N97. Obviously, features like HD playback, multi-tap gestures, HDMI output and hardware improvements like 4G enablement would be nearly impossible or impossible to implement. But, features like better RAM management, a new and improved homescreen(with limited graphics acceleration of course) and the single-tap implementation in the UI would improve the usability of the N97.

With that being said, it should be noted that this is nothing but food for thought. Even if the N97 is able to handle at least some of the features of the Symbian^3, it would not be a wise business decision for Nokia to release it on the N97. It is also hard to carry this on the N97 because the drivers for the N97 would have to be updated to work on the new OS. However, with a strong strong hacking community, it won’t be a surprise to see a port of the new OS on our beloved phones. Hackers, are you ready for the challenge?

So, what do you guys think? Will it be possible to introduce the Symbian^3? Would you like to see it on your N97?

Peace,

Salman

Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 on the N97? is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

Have you ever have had your beloved Nokia N97 start to act up and not listen to your commands as quickly as you would like? If you’ve experienced these slow-downs in your phone, then rest assured, you are not alone and there are ways to boost the N97’s energy so it can behave like the premium flagship phone Nokia intends it to be. Though Nokia has released a firmware update that nicely patches up the initial problems these issues still arise due to the low hardware restrictions on the N97. First, we will look at what causes these problems, and then we’ll look at a couple of applications that can solve these problems.

As most of you know the Nokia N97 operates on the Symbian OS and while this is one of the simplest and cleanest operating system, it has some quirks that the Symbian Foundation has failed to address. However, it seems that Symbian has attended to these problems for their future iterations: the Symbian^3 and Symbian^4. Getting back to the S60 operating system, when you open a program it will open up background processes for so the program becomes fully functional. However, when the program is closed it doesn’t fully shut itself off and leaves behind ‘traces’ of itself so that it may load up faster the next time the user opens that certain program. Such programs include: the menu system, messaging, contacts, clock, logs, etc. The N97 also automatically starts these programs in the background when a phone is booted up. Ending these programs will benefit your N97 by making it run smoother, make it less crash-prone (especially while using a demanding app like the internet browser), and preserving battery life. We will show you ways to fully terminate these programs.

Here is how you can maximize performance on your phone:

1. You can restart your phone. This is the simplest way to release all the memory and boost your phone’s performance. However, some shortcuts in life –especially this one- should be avoided as much as possible. Symbian automatically starts the above stated applications in the background and you’ll be back to ground zero as soon as you know it. Also, restarting the phone does no good to your battery life as the startup drains a lot of juice out of the poor thing.
2. Download Handy Taskman. This software by Epocware/Paragon Software comes in real handy (pun definitely intended) in closing those applications running in the background. This serves as a much more power powerful task manager than Symbian’s skeletal Show/Exit task manager. Just click on Optionsà Close All and poof watch the RAM come back from those unused background tasks! Other goodies such as bookmarking fav. Applications is also present. You can evaluate the software for 14 days and buy it ($14.95) after that period. The link is provided below.
   
   

   See what Symbian doesn't want to show you!

3. Download RAMblow. This is a neat new program by CellPhoneSoft. It not only terminates all the unused background applications, but also the unused cached tasks – like the menu tasks. Other features include the MemoryBoost option and an option to schedule automatic clean-ups. You will definitely see a lot of free ram after running this simple application. This application is also available for an evaluation basis of 14 days. If the price of Handy Taskman will set you off, this is an excellent alternative. You may buy it for $4.95. The link is provided below.
   

   Kill RAM, Rambo style!

4. Restart the phone when before charging and run these applications. We know this maybe contradicting the first point, but you’ll soon see the logic in this. Restart your phone before you put it on charge (preferably at night) so you won’t have to worry about battery problems. Once the phone has restarted wait a couple of minutes and then either use RAMblow or Handy Taskman to terminate all the automatic programs that start up (ie, messaging, clock, etc.). Now, you shall have free RAM of no less than 45-55MB on your N97 and this will let your phone run smoother throughout the day!

I hope this was beneficial to you and hopefully your Nokia N97 will be a crash-free device for the rest of its duration with you!

The links for the two programs:

Handy Taskman (Free-to-try, $14.95 afterwards): Website

RAMblow (Free-to-try, $4.95 aftwerwards): Website

*There is also a free alternative called JBTaskman, but it is not recommended because you will have to know exactly what you are doing when using this application. The link, to download it at your own will, is here.

Keep your Nokia N97 running top-notch! is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

Nokia Beta Labs launched a new application called Nokia Image Space , this application can upload your images from your mobile phone directly on to the Flickr website.

Well , thats not all , it can do much more!

The application, known as Nokia Image Space, also allows us to “spatial browsing of photos”. Once you choose a picture and upload it to your Flickr account, it is geotagged and the metadata contains the information regarding the orientation. If any other user too has clicked images of the same area, yours and their images will be linked regarding to te context. In case there are a large number of users out there, Image Space also creates a 3D image of the entire area using the user uploaded images.

If you happen to own an S60 phone with a built in compass and geotagging, you can try this application. The supported phones are the N97 , N97 mini , 5800 Xpressmusic and most other Nseries / navigator phones which support geotagging. Phones with an inbuilt compass have an added advantage.

All together , this application is good , though it is still in beta testing.

If you have any problems with the N97 / need themes ,games and other applications , do visit our forum at www.thenokian97.com/forum

Nokia Launches Image Space ! is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

Nokia  , the world market leader in mobile phones has announced that they will use only the digital media to promote their new handset the N97 mini.

N97 mini

The N97 mini , a smaller version of Nokia’s flagship N97 has hit the stores last month .

Nokia says that they will not use any conventional methods of promoting this all new product.

The reason behind this , some say ,is because the N97 mini is a fully loaded multimedia handset , and it supports an excellent online experience , the prospective users are bound to be web – savvy .

This new fully loaded mobilephone will be a huge hit with people who are looking forward to a good browsing and messaging experience. With its full Qwerty keypad , this mobile phone sure does make typing much easier! The 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash produces pictures of excellent clarity , making this device all – powerful!

As we can see, most websites we visit already have many advertisements for the Nokia N97 mini.

If you have any problems with your Nokia N97 or just need a few tips or downloads or you just want to share something which we might like to know , please do visit our forum at
The Nokia N97 Forum

Nokia Announces that they will use only the Digital Media to promote the N97 mini is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

The Nokia N97 mini which made its debut in India this November , is now available for a litle cheaper than it’s launch price.

N97 Mini

Previously available for about Thirty thousand Rupees[INR] , the phone is now available for about Twenty Five Thousand Rupees [Rs 24,999 to be exact], about Five thousand Rupees Cheaper.

The phone comes with the following features!

• It comes with a 3.2 inch touch screen display with 360 x 640 pixels and 16 million colors.
• It weighs 136 gm with a light sensor.
• N97 Mini is supported with full-QWERTY key board.
• It has 8GB of built-in memory along with microSD/microSDHC memory slot.
• The network connects through internet (S60 OSS Browser), microUSB, 2.0 Stereo Bluetooth, and Headphone Jack (3.5mm) connectors.
• Smartphone is built with OS (S60 over Symbian; Symbian 9.4, S60 5th Edition), Processor (ARM 11, 434 MHz), and memory of 128 MB RAM / 512 MB ROM.
• Multimedia features are abundant with Video playback, Music player, and stereo FM with RDS.
• Camera resolution ranges 5 megapixels; video of VGA (640×480), 30fps, and other features include Auto focus, Flash with Dual LED, Digital zoom, and additional camera for video calls.
• It is 3G, GSM Quad- band phone capable of Global roaming with Standby time of 13days along with the talk time of 7.16 hours.
• Nokia N97 Mini battery belongs to the type Li-Ion, 1200mAh.

*Source – www.cellbharat.com

The Nokia N97 mini Price Dropped in India! is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

The Nokia N900 , Nokia’s much awaited and anticipated model , which was announced in August this year kept us waiting!

The New Nokia N900

The N900 , which runs on Nokia’s newly developed Operating System called Maemo , which is based on Linux promises to do what the Symbian Operating System couldn’t ! With a better screen resolution of 480 x 800 pixels , a upgraded processor and RAM , this phone , specifications wise , is more advanced than the N97!

Browsing are Multitasking are said to be greatly improved from that of the previous devices which run on the Symbian Operating System claims the Finnish Mobile Manufacturer Nokia.

Originally said to be released on November this year, the phone’s release was delayed in most countries!

Vodafone now confirms that the phone will be available on their network  from January 7th 2010. The handset is available for free if you’re willing to sign-up to the 24-month, £35 commitment from Vodafone.

For those who can’t wait that long , most stores will be stocked up with handsets without an operator , giving you the freedom to choose your mobile operator just a day or two after Christmas this year.

The Qwerty keypad and Stylus!

Let us wait and see whether Nokia’s Maemo will stand up to the good old Symbian Operating System which gave us multi – tasking pleasure at a very early time!

There’s more on this at the Nokia N900 Blog!

The N97′s Cousin, The N900 is Coming to the United Kingdom soon! is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

First of all , We all know that the Nokia N97 sells for higher and is the flagship Model of Nokia [Until the N900 hits the stores] and that the 5800 is a mid range mobile phone specializing in music and multimedia.

N97 and 5800 , both have touch screens, both phones use the same operating system , etc.

There are quite a few similarities , but thats about it , otherwise , the N97 is High end mobile phone specializing in everything one can expect from a mobile phone!

So there is nothing to actually compare! Yet , let us do it!

Oh , and I almost forgot , we will be comparing the N97 with the all new 5800 Navigation Edition , a totally new 5800 made specially for easy Navigation!

First Contender!

Once the N97 is being compared , we already know the winner!

Second Contender!

The all new 5800 Navigation Edition!

So now , let us begin!

Size : The 5800 Navigation Edition (released recently in the US) wins this round by being more compact than the N97!

Memory : Both phones have 128 mb of RAM , and come with around 75 mb of storage in the C: drive , but the N97 has an edge as it has 32 gb of mass memory as well as a slot for a Micro SD memory card of capacities upto 16gb[sames as the 5800]. The 5800 Navigation Edition comes with an 8gb Micro SD card as the 5800 did.

Display : Both phones have the same resolution at 360 x 640 pixels , but the N97 has a 3.5 inch resistive touch screen while the 5800 Navigation Edition has a 3.2 inch. The 5800 Navigation Edition’s screen does not fare well in the bright daylight , so its not really something which can be placed directly facing the sun light.

Connectivity : Both phones are equipped with the same features.

Battery : The N97 lasts a little longer by giving an additional half an hour of talk time on 2G and an extra one hour on 3G over the 5800 Navigation Edition . The N97 gives 9 and a half hours on 2G and 6 hours on 3G of talk time.

Camera : The N97 has a 5 megapixel camera , leading the 3.2 megapixel camera of the 5800 Navigation Edition . The 5800 Navigation Edition’s camera has the same problem as the 5800 , there is a little too much of Noise. The N97 on the other hand , has an excellent camera and shoots Video at VGA resolution at 30fps,The 5800 Navigation Edition too shoots video at the same resolution, but the quality is better on the N97.

Another interesting I noticed about the phones is the lens angle , where the N97 gives a little wider crop ratio! Take a look at this image to understand

Wider picture on the N97

Navigation : This is where the 5800 Navigation Edition has a major plus over the N97 , The 5800 comes with regional maps and Lifetime pedestrian and vehicle voice-guided navigation licenses! So that means no paying each time for using voice guided Navigation! The N97 comes with only a trial , after which you will be required to pay an amount to continue the voice guided navigation services.

Other Features : People who are not used to messaging on a touch screen might find the 5800′s on screen keypad a bit difficult , the N97 comes equipped with a slide out full qwerty keypad!

Overall : The N97 leads specification wise , but the 5800 Navigation Edition is not just for people looking for an extreme Navigation phone, but its also a powerful phone , and for it’s price and build quality , it outdoes the N97 , unless we all have enough cash to  manage with the N97!

Specs of the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition courtesy of Nokia Blog

Comparision : N97 versus 5800 Navigation Edition! is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

Our friend at MMMOOO just tell me that their star product, MyPhone has updated to v2.40 today.

We’ve introduced MyPhone several times at our blog. In the newest version, MyPhone is not only a simple launcher interface any more, but also a game platform. Two games are from MMMOOO, Memo Deduction and Memo Mosaic are embedded in MyPhone now. You can enjoy both nice functionality and entertainment with the nice app.

The new function speed dial is very easy to use. Just like add an app in MyPhone, you can go to MySettings>MyAPP & Links, replace appname with your friend’s name and exename with your friends phone number. Then choose an icon and click Add, you will find the speed dial icon on your desktop. Next time, you want to call your friend, you can simply click this icon. But it’s little confused I can’t choose a number from my contacts when I’m trying to add a new speed dial.

The two games is very similar but with total different logic, very nice for the smart people to kill time or brain storming. But personally, I think it’s hard to play. You have to change all the colors into the target one. You can learn more from the below images

According to our friends at MMMOOO, MyPhone will become a platform in the future which contains both entertainment and functionality, not only a single launcher interface.

You can buy MyPhone v2.40 from sister site Nokit5800.net here, or trial it firstly here, we are authorized to release this new according to their permission as well.

Here is the capture of MyPhone v2.4

Just released: Turn N97 into iPhone with MyPhone v2.40 is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

Anyone had any doubt that Nokia are the best at what they do? Yesterday, Nokia released a little clip showing their plans until 2015. We love the gadgets, but also fear them a bit. How does this sound: “I can see the names and faces of everyone I met in the room” ? A little creepy, that’s what it is. Although we look forward to implementing face recognition technology into mobile devices, does this mean that it’s a good thing? Planning to do what Google is kind of doing already, it’s not that of a big news in this department. But on a global scale, on mobile devices, this is a huge leap for mobile technology, and this is truly what are we looking glad to see in the future.

Also, I liked the fact that they forsee a world where you can see who you were with at a bar a few years ago, Nokia will remember that for you. And then, get in touch with that person and find out their latest.

Watch and Enjoy: here

Nokia reveals future plans is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks

You know till now, there is only N97 & N97 Mini these two models support Homescreen widgets in S60, all other models may support widgets well, but can not quote them in homescreen, then cuz the instant share & informing not so useful. If you are a N97 users, be sure toe dig out this function, it will dramatically improve your mobile phone using experience, and widget is a tech to touch with tomorrow, you will see many many phone will support widgets. So you are lucky be the frist wave to enjoy this.

Today, we’de like to show our app review partner MMMOOO’s iRobot Widget on N97:

1. iRobot will be your best pal to hint & display the sms content, battery, calendar, worldwide holidays and aphorisms according to phone condition.
2. In the options, there is calendar, holiday, aphorism these three catalogue, you can choose each of them, or you can choose ‘random’ to display all the information in randomly.
3. Each catalogue related with a color, so you can easily catch each hint belonging. Hints changing interval is one minute.

So you now have a general idea of how iRobot help you in each kind information. I personally like the quote of the calendar very much, it can display all the latest one of Meeting, Memo, Anniversary & To do, a very nice complement of orginal calendar function. The quote of unread SMS is the 2nd very impressione function. Besides there is a big database of worldwide holidays and aphorisms which refersh my mind and enhance my knowledge in just one “happend to look at yr phone”.

Now you can trial it first with limited function at our Mini Shop from MMMOOO, also you can buy it directly with our certified

Review: N97 Homescreen Widget, iRobot is a post from: Nokia N97 Blog - News, Help, Apps, Games, Themes, Hacks